It's (Semi) Official: Egyptian President's Son And Family Have Fled To The UK

Earlier we reported that according to rumors, Gamal Mubarak, together with his family, had left Egypt and were spotted in the UK. We now have confirmation from the Examiner, that indeed, the Egyptian president, Hosni's, son has left his battered country and had relocated to London indefinitely. What is unclear is how much gold, and other inedible commodities, the president-in-waiting had stowed away in his 97 pieces of luggage. Then again, with Egypt holding (having held?) 75.6 tonnes of gold to Tunisia now 5.7, 97 sounds about right...

An Italian news publication has just announced that Gamal Mubarak, Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak's son who is widely tipped as his successor, has fled to London with his family, Arabic website Akhbar al-Arab said on Tuesday, January 24, 2011.

Gamal Mubarak is seen as Hosni Mubarak's successor. The report is unconfirmed, but goes on to say that the family and 97 pieces of luggage on board left for London on Tuesday from an airport in western Cairo.

The day has seen a revolutionary uprising of Egyptians against the regime of Hosni Mubarak asking for his resignation. Police and protesters clashed, and an anti-riot police officer was killed in Central Cairo.

Taking part in the protest were supporters of former UN nuclear watchdog chief Mohammed El Baradei, the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, the opposition al-Ghad party, the al-Wafd party and supporters of the '6 April' movement.

Mubarak has shown little tolerance for protests in the past.

In the meantime, the Egyptian government, which is still in control, has released the following statement on today's fatal escalations as the country teeters on the verge of a revolution:

PRESS RELEASE

• Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Egyptians have a right to express themselves• Interior: Committed to protecting demonstrators and the public; calls for respect for the rule of law

Cairo – Groups of protesters organized a number of demonstrations in Egypt today, mainly in the governorates of Cairo, Alexandria, El-Beheira, El-Giza, and El-Gharbia, with smaller demonstrations in a number of other regions.

Commenting on today’s events the Official Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ambassador Hosam Zaki said that “Egyptians have the right to express themselves”, adding that these events while notable were not new to the country which had witnessed a number of protests since 2004 as part of its open environment of freedom of expression.

Ambassador Zaki added that Egyptian police forces were focused on protecting the demonstrators and the public, in notable contrast to recent situations in the region.

In a statement released this evening, the Ministry of Interior said that its policy was to allow demonstrators to voice their demands and exercise their freedom of expression, and that during the course of today’s events it had, as noted by all observers, exercised maximum restraint and that it had “been committed to securing and not confronting these gatherings”.

The Ministry noted that beginning around 3PM, a number of protesters, particularly a large number of those affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood in the Qasr El-Einy Street began to riot, damage public property and throws stones at police forces, leading to the wounding of a number of personnel. The Ministry said that when around 10,000 protesters entered Al-Tahrir square, police forces took necessary measures to maintain order and protect public safety.

The Ministry called on all demonstrators to abide by the law and legitimate means of expression, and to avoid threatening the safety of bystanders, and public and private property.